The beautiful island of Sicily, poised between Europe and Africa, has seen many invaders, nearly all of whom have left their mark in art and architecture. It is also a land of myth and enigma, pagan below the Catholic surface, troubled by the shadow of the Mafia - in the words of the great Sicilian writer Leonardo Sciascia, a fantasy world.
Raleigh Trevelyan knows the island intimately, and his knowledge adds immeasurably to the experience of visiting the great sites: Segesta, Agrigento and the mosaics of the Roman villa near Piazza Armerina, Palermo and Monreale, the theatre at Syracuse and the baroque marvels of Noto. Unforgettable though these are, Sicily's unique character is more fully revealed as the author makes his leisurely way from province to province, describing the landscape and monuments, great treasures and remote villages, and spicing these discoveries with personal anecdote and references from writers down the centuries.
RALEIGH TREVELYAN's books include several on Italian themes, notably Princes under the Volcano and two outstanding books about the Second World War in Italy: The Fortress: A Diary of Anzio and After and Rome 1944: The Battle for the Eternal City.
- ISBN10 1900639165
- ISBN13 9781900639163
- Publish Date 13 December 1996
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 28 May 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Boydell & Brewer Ltd
- Imprint Companion Guides
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 480
- Language English